Nia is director of the Boston Ujima Project, which is focused on organizing Greater Boston area neighbors, workers, business owners, and investors to create a community-controlled economy. Evans has an educational background in labor relations, education leadership, and policy. Her advocacy work focuses on eliminating barriers between analysts and people with lived experiences while also acknowledging the value of diverse types of expertise in policy. She is a co-creator of Frames Debate Project, a multimedia policy debate program that explores the intersection between drug policy, mental health services, and incarceration in Massachusetts. Evans has a bachelor’s degree in industrial and labor relations from Cornell University and a master’s degree in education leadership, with a course of study in leadership, policy, and politics from Teachers College at Columbia University. She also studied at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia, where she focused on international labor relations.

James is a social worker, visual artist and fundraising strategist originally from Philadelphia. He moved to Boston to serve on the City Year Boston 2012-2013 corps and never left because he found community in Jamaica Plain and doing feminist mens work. James cares deeply about people and the planet and is inspired by the work of the Justice Funders, Bayard Rustin and his Sierra Leonean aunties who taught him all about love. Prior to Ujima, James worked at Health Leads for 3 years primarily focused on managing a portfolio of institutional & individual donor relationships against cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship activities. James is honored to support the economic world-building that the Boston Ujima Project is envisioning and continue to build towards a world where all humans are in right relationship with change and each other.

Cierra Michele Peters employs a practice that includes video, installation, and durational performance. She works as an artist, curator, and organizer with projects that attempt to examine visual, spatial and sensory representations of blackness. Her conceptual work uses wry humor to present commentary on subjectivity and ontology against an urban backdrop. Her recent projects include Print Ain’t Dead, a pop-up bookstore and publishing platform and Demo Radio, an underground sound archive.

Rei has been organizing around issues that impact Black Detroiters since they were 15 years old. Their dedication to movement work is fueled by their desire to see Black liberation come to fruition. Most recently, Rei has worked extensively with Detroit-based LGBTQ+ youth organization, Ruth Ellis Center. They assisted in developing training curriculum for the State of Michigan on working with LGBTQ+ young people in the Juvenile Justice and Child Welfare systems. Rei also served as the Manager of Drop-In Center Operations and Outreach. Their work surrounded addressing the immediate and long-term needs of runaway and homeless LGBTQ+ youth of color in Detroit. In addition to their work with the Ruth Ellis Center, Rei is also an organizer with the Green Light Black Futures coalition. GLBF is a campaign and coalition that pushes back against the hyper-surveillance system Project Green Light and works to encourage a reimagination of safety for Black Detroiters. Rei is a graduate of Marygrove College where they received a Bachelor of Music degree in Voice Performance in 2016. In December 2020, Rei received their Master of Social Work degree from the University of Michigan.

Julia Parker has worked in both the public and private sectors in community development and impact investing. She is passionate about financing and supporting BIPOC enterprises through debt capital and equity financing. Her focus is on justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion (JEDI) investing for mission-aligned endowed institutions. A community-based lender, Julia began her career in city government in the mayor's office before transitioning to a nonprofit addressing poverty’s impact on Black youth. She fell in love with the nonprofit space and eventually shifted to consulting. Julia has worked with Ujima for the past three years and is now taking on a more prominent role.

Kamaria Weemz is a Black, queer and nonbinary community cultivator, skilled facilitator, somatic practitioner and artist, who has lived and worked in the Boston area since birth. Their life’s work wades into the depths of Blackness, reveling in liberatory practices that heal across generations–backwards, contemporarily, and into the future. Kamaria’s tools for creating include training in somatics + trauma healing, embodied movement and a myriad of lineages and practices. Through Cultivate (a queer healing lab) and UnBoundBodies (a multimedia experimental community-based art collective) Kamaria works collaboratively to amplify QTBIPOC wellbeing and extend collective ecosystems of imagination. Prior to Ujima, Kamaria was a Program Officer at the New England Foundation for the Arts supporting artists and the field at the intersection of Public Art and spatial justice.

Mari Gashaw is passionate about Black liberation, abolition, and community interdependence. Raised in Cambridge, they received their B.S. in Social Policy and Education and a Certificate in Civic Engagement from Northwestern University in Evanston, IL. At Northwestern, they were instrumental in building and developing Black and first/gen spaces such as the Black Mentorship Program and SESP Leadership Institute. They are so excited to come back home to the Boston area and rebuild & revitalize relationships to truly create the worlds we want to live in. You can catch Mari making mixes, learning to cook Ethiopian food, and binge watching reality TV!

Georgios parents migrated to Boston where I was born, and we continue to live in the vibrant and working class neighborhood of Dorchester. I view my role at Boston Ujima as a bridge between community members and the socioeconomic change we need for our collective liberation. My interests include African and Hellenic cultures, video games, as well as studying and making teas, juices and smoothies.

Alula Hunsen is an essayist, researcher, and editor. His specific intrigues lie in Black cultural production, planning creative spaces, and alternative economies that support self-determination; raised in Cleveland, OH, he's fallen in love with his second home in the metro Boston area over the past six years. From trends to transit, music to mosaics, and whatever else may irk his ire or hold his heart, he's excited to bring his care for voices and attention to detail to bear in his work with us.

JaNoah Daley is the Fund Administrator for Boston Ujima Project. He studied Finance at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, where he received his B.S. degree from the Charlton College of Business. Previously, he was an Accountant at the Community Economic Development Assistance Corporation. He currently resides in Cambridge, MA, and enjoys working out in his free time.

Known for her experimental style of capturing movement, color, and illustration, Mona Layne is a visual artist reminding us of “the people who get lost in the day-to-day crowd.” Working between Cambridge, MA and NYC, she began her career at streetwear boutique Bodega, where she shot and directed campaigns for brands like Nike and Reebok. Now, as an independent artist working within the realms of photo and video, she is cementing her practice and exploring new ways to capture her subjects — from FaceTime to analog to digital. As Mona Layne continues to grow as an artist, she always wants to embrace the fun aspects of her work and avoid succumbing to the austerity of the commercial world.

Natasha Shiku is a Communications Associate for the Boston Ujima Project. She studied Marketing at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, where she received her B.S. degree from the Charlton College of Business. Natasha enjoys playing tennis and binging grey's anatomy in her free time, and believes pineapples belong on pizza.

Yusuf is a graduate from Umass Lowell with a bachelor's degree in Finance and Marketing. Yusuf has always been a hard worker and will continue to be. He is a true believer that you can do anything you set your mind to with hard work and consistency.

Z.Shekoni’s work lives at the intersection of operations, infrastructure, and people. With experience in youth development, staffing, and the logistics that keep organizations running, she enjoys building systems that support communities and teams in doing their best work. At Boston Ujima Project, Z is excited to support and strengthen the work already happening across the Ujima ecosystem, helping ensure the people, spaces, and systems behind the work are cared for and able to thrive. In her free time, Z can usually be found solving puzzles, spending time outside, or searching for a good sweet treat.

Arifa is a student of herbalism and is passionate about the healing power of our relationship to plants and earth and making that accessible to all people- with queer and trans, BIPOC and disabled communities at the center. Arifa is an artist who creates in many mediums including acrylic paint, clay, collage, and candle-making. She enjoys baking, the study of spirituality, and all things mystical. Arifa is from Upstate New York and has been building home in the Boston area since 2015.

Dave Madan works as a real estate developer with Boston Investments and is the founder and executive director of theMOVE, an urban sustainability education nonprofit. He additionally serves as the vice-chair of the board of trustees of the UUSC, an international human rights nonprofit based in Cambridge. Dave graduated in 2005 from UC Berkeley with a BA in business and urban planning.

Mark Anthony Hernandez Motaghy is an artist, researcher, and community organizer. Mark is the author and compiler of the book Rehearsing Solidarity, published by Thick Press, archiving how mutual aid group's fought back against state failings and experimented with social and digital infrastructures to meet community needs.

Joshua Croom has a background in city, state, and non-profit (CDFI) sectors, with a strong track record in community planning, stakeholder engagement, and comprehensive research and analysis. His expertise spans feasibility assessments, workforce development, and more. Originally hailing from North Carolina, Joshua has made Greater Boston one of his homes for several years. He is a dedicated advocate for inclusion, aging in place, housing, and community ownership. Joshua holds a Master of Arts in City and Regional Planning from the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning at Rutgers University.

Biplaw Rai, is the co-owner of the James Beard-nominated and UGBA Member Comfort Kitchen. A Nepali-born culinary entrepreneur and community builder, Biplaw channels his passion for food, culture, and community to create intentional, collaborative spaces that connect people from all walks of life. Biplaw fervently supports those who share his love of food as a member of the Advisory Board for Future Chefs, a nonprofit that provides teens with culinary training, and by offering management, construction, sourcing, and financial coaching to fellow entrepreneurs.He is also an accomplished public speaker, sharing his stories of immigration and advocacy to educate audiences on culture and food, how to build community spaces, and equity in the food industry.

Athul Krishnadas is passionate about building fairer, more socially and environmentally conscious financial systems and businesses that serve people and communities. A former financial services professional with experience at Goldman Sachs, Santander Bank, and FIS Global, he is interested in working at the intersection of finance, policy and organizing.

Renee Hatcher is a human rights and solidarity economy lawyer. She is the Director of the Community Enterprise and Solidarity Economy Law Clinic at University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) School of Law, a legal clinic that provides free legal support to grassroot organizations, cooperatives, and other solidarity economy enterprises. She previously served as the Co-Director of the Chicago Community Wealth Building Ecosystem and board member of the New Economy Coalition. Daughter of the late civil rights activist and first elected Black mayor of a U.S. city, Richard Gordon Hatcher, Renee is committed to advancing the Black Freedom Movement through her work with coops and communities. She has previously served as a member of the City of Chicago's Community Wealth Building Advisory Committee and a member of the current administration's Economic Vitality and Equity transition team. Her research and clinical work focuses on solidarity economy and the law. As the Ujima Solidarity Economy Law Fellow, Renee will: * Support Ujima's emerging communications cooperative * Research African indigenous governance practices and what they offer our movements today * Develop a policy vision for community cooperatives in the US, based on learnings from Emilia-Romagna, Italy   * Develop learning opportunities that explore historical experimentations with radical democracy in the Black Freedom Movement

Dr. Caroline Shenaz Hossein is a Canada Research Chair of Africana Development and Feminist Political Economy and Associate Professor of Global Development at the University of Toronto Scarborough and she is cross appointed to the graduate program of Political Science at the University of Toronto. She is founder and member of the Diverse Solidarity Economies (DISE) Collective working to amplify cooperativism and membership institutions. Hossein also holds an Early Researcher Award from the Ontario government since 2018.

Donna Bivens is a justice-centered consultant/facilitator and coach whose lifelong work bridges spirituality, anti-racism, and systemic change. Born in South Carolina and raised in Dayton, Ohio’s Black community, she moved to Boston amid the 1974 desegregation crisis—an experience that deepened her commitment to equity and community healing. Her leadership has included more than two decades co-directing the Women’s Theological Center, work with the Free My People African American Youth Leadership Movement, directing the Boston Busing and Desegregation Program at the Union of Minority Neighborhoods, and coordinating UMN's Howard Rye Fellows Program. As Co-Director of Women’s Theological Center (WTC) in Boston for over 20 years, Donna consulted with scores of organizations around the country to facilitate their creation of shared ownership, leadership and benefit across divides of racism and other systemic oppressions. Donna is known for her innovative work on internalized racism. Today, she supports organizations and coaches BIPOC leaders to navigate oppression, conflict, and change through healing-centered, historically and culturally grounded leadership practices and strategies.

Segun Idowu is an accomplished visionary, builder, speaker, and leader. A lifelong resident of Boston, he is a proud product of the Boston Public Schools. Following his graduation from Boston Latin Academy, he matriculated to Morehouse College where he earned his Bachelor of Arts in History with Cum Laude, Phi Beta Kappa, and Golden Key Society honors. In 2014, Segun and his colleague Shekia Scott organized the Boston Police Camera Action Team (BPCAT), a community advocacy group whose successful efforts made Boston the first city to utilize body-worn camera policy that was largely written by the community rather than local police unions. In November 2018, Segun began his tenure as the first President and CEO of the Black Economic Council of Massachusetts, Inc. (BECMA), the statewide advocacy organization for Black businesses. In this role, he helped transform the organization, including growing membership by 300 percent and helping to reshape the procurement process for Massachusetts, which led to contracts worth $500 million being awarded to minority-owned firms. During the COVID-19 pandemic, BECMA and its partners ensured that 50% of the roughly $700 million in pandemic aid provided by the Commonwealth was awarded to minority-owned firms.

Aaron Tanaka is a Boston-based community organizer, grant maker, and impact investor. He directs the Center for Economic Democracy, is co-founder of the Boston Ujima Project, and was startup manager for the Boston Impact Initiative. He has been a fellow with Common Future, Echoing Green and Tufts Univ., and is the current Treasurer for the Neighborhood Funders Group.